When life gives you cucumbers — make Korean Cucumber Kimchi!
This incredibly easy and absolutely delicious Oi Kimchi is one of Korea's most refreshing and beloved banchan side dishes — ready in just 32 minutes with simple everyday ingredients!
Korean, English, Persian, Kirby, or Japanese cucumbers all work beautifully — enjoy it immediately or let the flavors infuse overnight for an even more spectacular result!
It's perfect alongside Korean galbi, bulgogi, or steamed white rice!
When life gives you cucumbers, make Quick and Easy Cucumber Kimchi!
A good friend of mine has an incredible green thumb! I am so fortunate to often be on the receiving end of that green thumb. The other day, she kindly brought me some amazing home grown cucumbers, chives, peppers, and perilla (sesame) leaves, which are all perfect for Korean banchan. So I'm so excited to be making some awesome Korean side dishes over the next few days!
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Cucumber Kimchi Is SUPER Easy To Make!
Cucumber kimchi, or "oi kimchi," couldn't be easier to make. Simple prep of a few ingredients, and a gentle mixing of everything by hand and voila! You have a delicious side dish, as you would enjoy at your fave Korean restaurant, in about 30 minutes!
What Ingredients Do I Need To Make Cucumber Kimchi?
You will need cucumbers, onions, Kosher salt, and Asian chives or green onions for this delicious recipe.
Korean cucumbers are perfect for this dish. Other recommended cucumbers include English, Persian, Kirby, or Japanese cucumbers. These varieties tend to have fewer seeds and thin skin. You can even use regular cucumbers, but you may have to deseed those if the seeds are very large.
Additionally, you will need to make a pepper paste/sauce to add to the items listed above.
The ingredients for the pepper paste/sauce include garlic, ginger, sugar, water, Korean red pepper flakes (gochugaru), fish sauce, and rice wine vinegar. The gochugaru is a key ingredient in the Korean cuisine.
You should be able to find all of these ingredients at Asian grocery stores. I have also linked to Amazon for some of these ingredients for convenience sake.
Instructions
Begin by cutting your cucumber in half lengthwise. Deseed it if the seeds are very large. Then cut the cucumber into large chunks.
Place the cut up cucumber in a colander and sprinkle the salt. Leave at room temperature for 30 minutes (some excess water will drain off the cucumbers so you may want to leave the colander in the sink.)
Mince the ginger and garlic in a food processor. Add to a large mixing bowl, along with the Korean red pepper powder, fish sauce, sugar, water, and rice vinegar. Mix with a spoon.
After the 30 minutes, rinse the cucumber pieces under running water, to get rid of the salt. Add these along with the Asian chives (or green onions) and onion to the spice mixture, and mix gently with your hands until all the ingredients are combined.
This perfect side dish is now ready to enjoy!
Enjoy This Wonderful Korean Banchan!
This kimchi can be eaten immediately, however I think it tastes better about a day after so there's time to let the flavors infuse.
Serve with rice, or as a side to your favorite Korean meal to spice it up!
FAQ
Korean, English, Persian, Kirby, or Japanese cucumbers are best for making cucumber kimchi. These varieties tend to have fewer seeds and thin skin.
Use an airtight container to store this kimchi in the refrigerator.
You can enjoy this fresh delicious kimchi immediately! However, I think it tastes better about a day after so there's time to let the flavors infuse.
Some Other Recipes You May Enjoy!
If you like banchan or kimchi, you may also like these recipes:
1,000 Foods to Eat Project
Kimchi is one of the foods listed in the book 1,000 Foods To Eat Before You Die, by Mimi Sheraton. I'm on a quest to try each and every one of these foods. I'd be honored if you would join me in this journey and discover new foods, experiences, and cuisines which I hope will add inspiration, fun, and joy to your life! For a list of the foods tried so far visit the 1,000 Foods to Eat Project page.
If you'd like to follow along and be a part of the 1,000 Foods Project, please sign up to get the latest recipes and inspiration for you to expand your food comfort zone! It's an incredible journey, please join me by signing up here. 🙂
Enjoy this taste of Korea!
Quick and Easy Cucumber Kimchi
Ingredients
- 1 large cucumber or 2 small (if your cucumber is large and has many seeds, then it is best to deseed it)
- ½ tablespoon coarse Kosher salt
- 1 oz Asian chives or 3 green onions, chopped into largish sizes
- ½ onion thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoon Korean red pepper powder reduce to 1 tablespoon if you don't like it too spicy
- 1 inch ginger minced
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 ts sugar
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
Instructions
- Cut your cucumber in half lengthwise and deseed it if the seeds are very large. Then cut into large chunks as per the image.
- Place the cut up cucumber in a colander and sprinkle the salt. Leave at room temperature for 30 minutes (some water will drain off the cucumbers so you may want to leave the colander in the sink.)
- Mince the ginger and garlic in a food processor. Add to a large mixing bowl, along with the Korean red pepper powder, fish sauce, sugar, water, and rice vinegar. Mix with a spoon.
- After the 30 minutes, rinse the cucumber pieces under running water, to get rid of the salt. Add these along with the Asian chives (or green onions) and onion to the spice mixture, and mix gently with your hands until all the ingredients are combined.
Grace
My Korean mom LOVES this cucumber kimchi! Great recipe!